Vandals strike EMC church

Traveling on SH 242, it is difficult to miss the Living Way United Methodist Church at the intersection of Old Houston Road, a Sprung fiberglass structure with an odd appearance that’s been compared to everything from a Hershey’s kiss to an onion. But on Saturday morning, something else stood out about the church. It was vandalized.

Click the arrow to view video.

Pastor Bill Posey said he got a call from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office saying someone painted graffiti all over the side of their new building, on the windows and a few of the panels that comprise the odd main structure.

It wasn’t just scribbling, either. Some of the graffiti looked like an attempt at a popular gang symbol, and other parts of it involved profanity and blasphemy.

Ironically, the changeable sign in front of the church currently reads “Free stain removal here. Isaiah 1:18”

Posey assumes kids were responsible, but said he was unsure who would do such a thing or why, when the church has tried to help the community. They have assisted area residents with a wide range of emergency needs including food, electricity and hope, he said.

“It’s very disappointing,” Posey said. “We try to be Jesus to this neighborhood.”

Unfortunately, it was not the first time the five-year-old church was targeted. Last summer, burglars took four guitars, the sound system and a laptop computer.

Posey conceded it was devastating to walk in and find things stolen that people worked hard to provide for the church, but he also said they had a message of forgiveness and would want to help the troubled souls who did those things.